One of the most life-altering journeys I’ve ever been on is one that I didn’t even have to leave my home to take.

My journey to simple living began in front of my closet, and continued through every area of my home. I purged junk from the bathroom, linen closet, my purse, and every other space that was choked with more things than I could ever use or enjoy.

As I opened the airways in my home, purging junk and helping my living space to breathe, I began noticing benefits right away!

And I loved that with less possessions, it was much easier when it came time to move into our tiny cabin.

One result of decluttering that I did not expect was the way my spending habits changed. I thought that I was already pretty careful about how I used money, but after simplifying my home my perspective on spending changed completely. I now spend much differently than I used to, and in the process, I’ve saved a lot of money!

Here are some of the ways that my spending changed after I decluttered my home:

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1. I’m more disciplined with my spending

Because I’ve gone to a lot of work to simplify each area of my home, I’m more mindful of the additional things I bring in. It took lots of time and mental energy to purge so much stuff from my house, and I don’t want to lose that hard-won ground! I’m more likely now to hold off on buying new things so that our home doesn’t get cluttered up again.

2. I spend smarter

I put a greater emphasis on quality than I used to. As I simplified my wardrobe, my shoes, or other things I owned, I was surprised by the number of worn-out and broken things that I found! These items were usually of lower quality to begin with, and they wore out after a year or two of use. Now, I do my best to buy higher quality items when I can afford them (or find them on sale!), knowing that the extra money spent will be an investment. Since I own less, buying higher-quality items ensures that they’ll last longer under frequent use.

3. I consider space as a resource, not just money

I used to only take my budget into account when I considered buying an item. I thought about whether or not I had enough money to purchase the item, and how much it would set me back. Now, I realize that space is every bit as important a factor as the budget! I want my simple home to stay simple, so with each purchase, I ask myself: “Does this item have a space waiting for it back home?” I want all my clothes to fit on a certain number of hangers. Dishes and appliances have to fit in our tiny kitchen. Books need to fit on the the bookshelves, without being crowded.

4. I delay spending

My purchases are fewer and farther between, because I spend time researching the item I want to get. If it’s something I can find online, I look for the best prices and read product reviews. If it’s something I want in-store, I wait for a sale, if I can, and I’m prepared to simply say “no” to an item if it’s not exactly what I’m looking for.

5. I get my money’s worth

After I’ve spent money on a good-quality item that I’ve researched, I make sure to really use it! I might buy a nice sweater and then wear it once a week for a whole season. That’s already a lot of wears! But if it’s a good quality item, I can continue wearing it year after year!

If you want to roll up your sleeves and start decluttering your home, but you’re not sure where to start, I wrote a book for you! Your Simple Home Handbookshows you 30 different spaces in your home and offers proven suggestions to simplify each one.

And if you don’t have time to declutter, but still want strategies to bring more breathing space to your home? You can download my FREE “tidy home cheat sheet” right HERE.

How has decluttering your home changed your habits?

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About Elsie

Elsie writes at Richly Rooted about living deeply in the everyday aspects of homemaking. One of her main passions is creating a simple, uncluttered home, and she's written a free "tidy home cheat sheet" for homemakers who want to simplify their living space but don't have time for a complete purge.

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Reader Interactions

23 Comments

all of the above!! i’m a frequent declutterer. A huge area for us was books and dvds – realizing we don’t read books we’ve already read OR watch old DVDs, I just put them in boxes and took them to half price books. Made a couple hundred books & decluttered! win win. and of course, it changed my habits in that now i don’t buy those things really. we borrow, swap with friends, use the library, free kindle books, etc…

Yes, books were tough for us at first! I love reading, but I had to realize that that fact DOESN’T mean I need to hang on to every book! Our personal library is tightly curated now, and we use the public library liberally. And I’m getting into Kindle reading more, too!

Yes! I can so relate. I have decluttered A LOT over the past year. There’s still more I could do, I’m sure. But I am definitely much slower to purchase an item for the house or for my kids. Space is a commodity and as far as toys go, when I think that they already have more than they need, a toy would have to be pretty special for me to buy them more. Yesterday my husband and I were walking around a small mountain town, perusing all the little stores. Even though there were so many neat and pretty antiques and whatnot, I just didn’t want to buy any because it’s just more stuff. I did, however, leave with books from a used bookstore, because BOOKS. 😉

A simplifying mindset certainly makes the things you do buy more special! I love window shopping when we visit new places…and then coming away with just one or two thoughtfully-selected items to remember it by (like a special book–I totally get that)!

I had the privilege of reviewing Elsie’s “Simple Homemade Handbook” for my blog, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to simplify but doesn’t know where to start! Elsie speaks from experience and offers step-by-step instruction to simplify each area of your home. I have definitely seen the benefits of living simply and without clutter, and I hadn’t thought about the way it affects my spending, but it definitely does. I always think, where will I put this or what will I need to get rid of in order to have room for this? Great article, Elsie! I always love reading your advice.

I have been trying to deciliter over that last few months as we go through a renovation. I can quickly see the positive impact it has had on my spending. I buy less and consider the free space more valuable the the actual thing I could have. I am trying to shift our family to spending money on experience way more that on things.

Great read! I’ve noticed a total change in my spending habits as a result of simplifying, too. One of the nice perks to simplifying and having less is that I’m able to buy better quality items. I’m realizing that I’d much rather invest in one fantastic, comfortable piece of clothing that I love and will wear over and over again than a bunch of things I sort of like, but that were a “great deal.” I’m spending less time thinking about sales and more time really pondering what is worth spending money on, and as a result I’m buying less and enjoying it more.

I been purgeing my home constantly. My china cabinet has only really loved things in it now and I can see every piece. My clothing closet can breath, I took pictures with my phone so when I shop I can see if I really need the color blouse or pants. It has helped a lot. Your suggestions are right on for everyone. Thanks

My husband and I recently adopted four children, plus our two bio kids gives us, well, a lot of kids! Our kids came with nothing (literally). I was so broken that they had nothing I got them way more clothes than they needed, our kids (2,3,4,4,6 and 11) had WAY more stuff than they needed and I had spend WAY more than I could afford. It didn’t take long to see that my kids all wore only a handful of their favorite clothes and rarely played with toys because they enjoyed playing pretend or tag together more. Eight people in a home plus a LOT of unnecessary crap left us all feeling overwhelmed. I started reading about decluttering which led me to the KonMari method. We were sold. All in. In the four months since the Great Purge of 2016 we have been SO much happier. My kids enjoy their space more, I have moved to a capsule wardrobe, my husband is thrilled we don’t have to clean as often. We have a much higher expectation of what clean looks like. We are on our journey toward a simple life. We have actually decided to downsize so we can pay off all our debt and simplify our finances. I would have never thought hauling away all that stuff could be such a life changer. But, here we are. Simple life is good.

That is such a cool story, Victoria! I have found this to be true as well: simplifying your stuff leads to a more simple life all around! We grew up with 8 people in the house, too, and I totally understand how much clutter can come from so many!

We definitely shop less and less. We just moved so we obviously needed to buy some things, but I shop the dollar store less and I teach my children about the quality of items we purchase – would you rather have a toy that breaks quickly or one that lasts?

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Grace-Filled,Healthy Homemaking

I’m Erin. Follower of Jesus. Wife to Will. Mommy to a lovely trio of redheaded girls and one sweet baby boy. Professional dreamer. Drinker of chai tea and peppermint mochas. Recovering overwhelmed homemaker. I’m here to encourage, educate, and empower you to live a grace-filled, natural life. Won’t you join me?